#Canyoubelieveshesamolecularbiologistturnedwriter?

I am so excited, happy, pleased, to have Courtney Farrell with us today. Courtney is a molecular biologist who left the laboratory to write books for young people. She authored fifteen nonfiction books on social and environmental issues before transitioning into fiction. She lives on a ranch in Colorado with her husband and sons.

Now I ask you, If you're going to do an interview, who best than with a molecular biologist. My dream job. And she leaves it write YA. *shakes head*

Definition from Wikipedia:

Molecular biology (pron.: /məˈlɛkjʊlər/) is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology chiefly concerns itself with understanding the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between the different types of DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

Coming Soon!

Courtney's first fiction novel is titled Enhanced. Without even looking at the blurb my first guess about the book would be genetics. Let's see if I'm right. 

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Michelle is a product of the Institute’s eugenics program, where people are bred like livestock. One doctor decides which kids get to grow up, and which disappear. Only Culls walk into the slum outside Institute walls, and they never come back. Michelle has survived every purge, and she’s about to win a luxurious life as a breeder. Then the doctor banishes her brother Seth and her boyfriend Brian, and she risks everything to find them in the cutthroat slum. She’s in trouble until handsome Dillon stakes a claim to her. Michelle is mortified, because Norms are practically animals. But the doctor is using the missing boys in a twisted plan and she needs Dillon’s help to stop him. Michelle and her friends must find Seth and Brian, but a plague is spreading, the doctor is after her and Dillon isn’t thrilled to help her find her lost boyfriend.

Close enough. I LOVE these types of books. It may be YA, but I know I'll be reading it.

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Biography:

I’m Courtney Farrell, and I sell my thoughts. I shine ‘em up first, like you would with anything you want to sell. And then off to market they go. My thoughts are powerful enough to take over my brain and make me stare into space while they play movies in front of my eyes. I hear you, wondering if you’re on the highway when I am. Watch out for the red F350 with a German shepherd in the back — that’s me.

Glorious daydreams, nightmares, worries and triumphs all spin together into the stories that feed my soul.  Luckily, stories also feed my kids (with a whole lot of help from my husband Shawn) and they buy some chow for the dogs, cats, and horses too.

My funny and sentimental thoughts found homes in parenting and ranching magazines. The worrisome ones became nonfiction books like Human Trafficking, Children’s Rights, and The Mexican Drug War. Outright nightmares morphed into dark titles with innocuous names like World Population. My nonfiction books are written for young people, mostly middle and high school age, but we tackle some serious topics. After all, kids are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for, and they want to know the truth.

Now I’m making the leap from being an established nonfiction author to being a newbie in the fiction world. My latest creation is a YA novel about genetically engineered teenagers and the doctors who breed them like livestock. It’s called Enhanced, and it’s coming soon from Crescent Moon Press. This story’s got some of my coolest thoughts yet. All shined up, and ready to play movies in front of your eyes. Only not when you’re driving, okay? One daydreamer on the road is bad enough.

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<---- Click here to see more of her non-fiction books.

And now, here is the long awaited interview with Courtney Farrell.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Writing is so sedentary that I need to get moving when I can. I like to hike, preferably with friends and our dogs, and ride my horse. In the winter my family skis a lot, so most weekends we’re up at one of the Colorado resorts, usually Breckenridge.

Do you have a day job as well?

I don’t have a day job. Writing is my job.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I’m ridiculously focused, so I can spend eighteen hours at the keyboard without stopping. I really try not to do that, because it’s terrible for my health. Most days I’m on the computer by 7:00 AM, work on marketing for two hours, and write until six or seven at night.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Would you believe I never learned to type? Isn’t that dumb? Of course I do type, but not with the proper fingering. I’m still pretty fast, but I’d be a lot faster if I took a typing class. That’ll probably never happen, though.

What does your family think of your writing?

We’re a family of writers, so they’re super supportive. My husband writes Biochemistry textbooks, and both my sons are working on novels. The boys are in high school and college, though, so they don’t have a lot of free time to write.

What books have most influenced you the most?

When I was young, I got hooked on Heinlein and Orson Scott Card.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

The horror writer Hank Snider is in my critique group, and he’s really helpful. I don’t write horror—just a few scary scenes now and then—but he encourages me to walk into dark places. That really has changed my books.

What book are you reading now?

Transformation, by Carol Berg. She’s fantastic!

Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I have an outline in my head, but I never draft it out on paper. Still, even that much of an outline is essential for me. I had to rewrite the second half of my first YA novel, Enhanced, because I didn’t outline it. The effort was worth it, though, because Enhanced launches this February with Crescent Moon Press! An excerpt is posted on my website, www.courtneyfarrell.com.

Thank you for being with us today. I plan on having you back as soon as your novel is released. To read more about Courtney, please visit the links below.

Blog www.courtneyfarrell.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Courtney-Farrell/405475149467821
Twitter https://twitter.com/CAFarrell
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7894049-courtney-farrell
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JPBU6S

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Please check my Events page for upcoming blog tours with tons of prizes. You really can't miss this one <---- the prizes are awesome.

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